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Another hostage goes down

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Illinois

* AP…

An Illinois rape crisis center is suspending nearly all of its services and will lay off five employees after operating for nearly a year without state money.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported that the nonprofit Rape Advocacy Counseling and Education Services agency will end counseling, legal advocacy and community education programs June 1.

But the Urbana center’s 24-hour crisis line will continue with $25,000 from United Way of Champaign to hire a part-time volunteer coordinator. The money comes from United Way’s emergency fund designed to help agency partners in need.

Ugh.

* Meanwhile…

City Water, Light and Power of Springfield is among municipal utilities that would earn monthly interest on overdue state bills under a change pending with an Illinois rules-making panel.

The change also assumes eventual legislative approval of the spending.

CWLP is owed $11.7 million from overdue state electric bills. The state owes the city another $1 million for water, sewer and sanitary service, according to CWLP figures. A $2.8 million payment in April brought the total paid toward overdue bills to $6 million since the start of the state fiscal year last July. […]

A rules change proposed by the Illinois Department of Central Management Services would include municipally owned utilities under the state’s Prompt Payment Act. The change would allow for a 1 percent interest charge after 90 days for each month a bill is overdue. The change would apply to utility service provided after July 1, 2015, according to a summary of the rule at the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 16, 16 @ 9:23 am

Comments

1% a month is a lot more then the 3% a year on pensions. Is the 1% compounded?

Comment by DuPage Monday, May 16, 16 @ 9:32 am
Sounds like a great investment strategy for CWLP. Hopefully that penalty would be retroactive to the time the bills became 90 days overdue.

Comment by Omega Man Monday, May 16, 16 @ 9:53 am
Obviously, you can’t have funding to honor state contracts for rape crisis centers unless there’s a term-limits bill.

And dozens of programs must be shut down and hundreds of workers must be fired at Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services because teacher’s have collective bargaining rights.

How does that not make sense?

Comment by wordslinger Monday, May 16, 16 @ 10:05 am
If I was a resident/customer in the service area of CWLP, I’d be screaming everyday at the Company to cut the State off, Period! 1% interest each month doesn’t help meet payroll today of the power company employees, the 1% will be just another hidden tax that’s imposed on citizens of the entire State in the future, and nothing has seemed to grasp the attention of the public about the unfolding train wreck that is our State government. Shut off the lights at State facilities and see how fast the public and the media start to find out.
I say pull the plug.

Comment by northernwatersports Monday, May 16, 16 @ 10:11 am
===The change also assumes eventual legislative approval of the spending.===

What is happening is that the taxpayers of Springfield are effectively making an interest free loan to the State of Illinois which may or may not be repaid. That sounds to me like a high risk gamble. Cutting off the power and water to the State sounds to me like something that should be given serious consideration at CWLP.

Comment by Hit or Miss Monday, May 16, 16 @ 11:09 am
I am a Springfield resident and a CWLP customer and I wish the City of Springfield would start pulling meters and cutting off services. This game of chicken between Madigan & Rauner has gone on to long. Enough is enough.

Comment by Dan S Monday, May 16, 16 @ 11:13 am
I am sure the muni’s are eternally grateful that the state is going to “allow” a 1% charge to be applied every month after 90 days. Talk about hubris.

Comment by Saluki Monday, May 16, 16 @ 11:27 am
To be fair, Gov. Rauner has insured that rape victims can still get free motorcycle lessons.

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Monday, May 16, 16 @ 1:51 pm